If you're going to pay more than $500 for wireless headphones, they had better sound—and look and feel—amazing. Master & Dynamic's MW60 has the looking good/feeling good part down—premium leather and stainless steel are combined to form a handsome, comfortable pair of headphones. As for the audio performance, bass lovers will find the MW60 lacking in the type of boosted lows they're after, but anyone seeking a more flat response, mids-focused sound signature will likely find the MW60's response to their liking. However, even with strong audio performance and a luxurious design, the MW60 still feels somewhat overpriced at $549.

DesignThe MW60, offered in black or brown models, is the most comfortable pair of headphones we've tested in recent memory—its leather and stainless steel frames are not only good to look at, but the earpads feel amazing, as does the headband. Plush is an understatement.

In a clever design twist, Master & Dynamic claims that its exposed antenna—fashioned from aluminum that makes up part of the MW60's outer earcup frames—allows for a higher-than-average signal range. Where most Bluetooth headphones start to experience dropout beyond 35 feet or so, the MW60 can receive audio within a range more like 100 feet, though physical barriers like doors and walls will still present challenges.

Inside the earcups, 45mm neodymium drivers deliver the audio. The power switch (which is also the Bluetooth pairing switch) is located on the left earcup's outer panel, along with pinhole mics for fielding phone calls. The left earcup also houses the 3.5mm connection for the included audio cable. Two buttons on the right earcup handle volume control and track navigation, while a central multifunction button controls playback and call management. A micro USB port for charging (the cable is included) is also located on the right earcup.

The Volume controls work in conjunction with your mobile device's master volume level, but the decision to have the volume buttons double as track navigation buttons is not our favorite aspect of the MW60's design. If you hold the + button down, it will advance to the next track—raising the volume requires a quick tap—and it's quite easy to skip a track when you meant to adjust the volume or vice-versa.

The MW60 features a detachable audio cable, but surprisingly (for this price range), the cable doesn't feature an inline remote control. Thus, using the headphones in passive, wired mode eliminates the ability to field phone calls through the headphones themselves. On the upside, having the cable detected automatically disables the power for the headphones, so you can't accidentally drain the battery while listening via the cable.

Pairing the headphones with a mobile device is a quick and simple process, and the MW60 automatically pairs with the previously paired device upon powering up. If no connection is made within a two minute period—because your device is not in pairing mode or in close range—the headphones will enter deep sleep mode to conserve battery power. However, when a device is paired, the MW60 will never enter deep sleep mode, even if there's a prolonged period of inactivity—so turning the power off is crucial for saving your battery life. Master & Dynamic estimates the battery life to be roughly 16 hours, though your results will depend on your mix of volume levels and wired versus wireless usage.

In addition to the audio and USB charging cables, the MW60 ships with a 1/4-inch headphone jack adapter, a small case for the cables to be stored in, a canvas pouch also intended to house cables, and a larger, zip-up canvas case that the headphones fold down flat into.

PerformanceOn tracks with powerful sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the MW60 delivers an accurate, powerful bass response. At top (unwise) listening levels, the MW60 doesn't distort, and at moderate levels, we get an accurate reproduction of this track's intense low frequencies, balanced out with plenty of higher frequency presence.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives a clearer idea of the MW60's overall sound signature. The drums will often sound thunderous and unnatural on bass-heavy headphones, but the through the MW60, they sound more like a gentle tapping, almost lacking a bit in the bass department. There is plenty of high-mid treble edge to give Callahan's baritone vocals some extra crispness and definition, and the guitar strum attack is also pushed forward in the mix thanks to a strong high frequency presence, but this isn't to say the MW60 sounds overly bright. The mids and low-mids are well represented, giving both Callahan's vocals and the guitar strumming some added body and depth. When the bass guitar enters the mix, its presence is subtle and dialed back—the overall sound here is balanced, and mids-focused, with the highs out-dueling the lows for the spotlight without hogging it.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop gets plenty of high-mid presence, allowing its attack to flaunt its piercing edge and slice through the dense mix. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with a subtle, accurate low-end, which is to say: Bass fiends probably will not fall in love with the MW60's sound signature. The vocals are crisp, clear, and never overly sibilant, but this is a mids-focused frequency response with a subtle lean toward the highs—in other words, the type of flat response that many audiophiles seek out.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound bright and full through the MW60. Higher register strings, brass, and vocals get most of the attention, while lower register instrumentation has a subtle richness to it, but rarely sounds powerful or boosted. This is not a bass-forward sound, and even some purists might find themselves craving a little extra low-end at times.

If you're looking for a bit more bass in your premium wireless headphones, consider the JBL Everest Elite 700, the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless, or the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless, all of which offer varying degrees of low-end that will sound a bit more beefed up than the MW60's response. If you're lookng to spend less money but want a Bluetooth headphone pair with solid overall balance, the Harman Kardon Soho Wireless is a great value for the price. At $549, the Master & Dynamic MW60 offers a refined listening experience in a luxurious design with an exceptionally comfortable fit. Bass lovers won't be drawn to the mids-and-highs-focused response, but plenty of purists will. Regardless, the price seems high for a Bluetooth headphone pair—anything over $500 should sound like absolute heaven, and we can't quite claim that level of enthusiasm for the MW60, but it's a winner nonetheless.